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May 17, 2012

Organised crime, new legislation and pressure to de-regulate
insurance make Malaysia a complex and changing market for passenger
vehicles...

The vehicle theft risk in Malaysia is one of the
highest in the world, with vehicles more likely to be stolen there than
in the USA or the UK. Furthermore, Malaysia is one of only a small
number of countries to show a consistent increase in vehicle theft since
2001.

Currently, the Malaysian insurance industry is tightly
regulated by the government. Potential changes to the system along with
new legislation mandating immobilisers and an increased public awareness
of vehicle theft could make security a much bigger concern for
insurers, manufacturers and customers.

SBD have been monitoring
this important Asian market since 2007 and this latest report gives a
comprehensive guide and analysis of the country’s theft issues,
insurance market and the latest legislation.

This report will
help you:

Understand how to meet insurance and
legislation requirements for immobilisation

Learn how thieves
are targeting vehicles in Malaysia as well as the government and police
initiatives in place to combat them

Determine how motor premiums
are created and what are the restrictions

Produce a vehicle
with the appropriate level of security to meet consumer demands

Vehicle theft fell in Malaysia during 2009,
the first annual reduction in theft since 2001. Following a period of
steep rises in theft, particularly of motorcycles, combinations of
Police initiatives to apprehend Organised Criminal Gangs (OCGs) and
media coverage to increase public awareness appear to have helped
reverse the long-term trend.

However, this does not mean that
vehicle theft is no longer an issue. 2009 also saw recovery rates for
stolen passenger cars fall to under 10%, whilst the average cost of a
insurance claim for theft increased for the first time in five years.
Both of these factors suggest rises in profit-motivated theft, targeting
higher-value vehicles to be broken down for parts or to be shipped out
of the country and sold for the whole vehicle price.

This
evidence is supported by Police commentary, who say that the work of
large-scale OCGs shipping luxury foreign brand vehicles over borders to
neighbouring countries is increasing, using increasingly sophisticated,
electronic theft methods to defeat vehicle security.

Meanwhile,
the motor insurance industry continues to be closely governed by the
Motor Tariff, preventing insurers from offering any incentive for
fitment of security features such as immobilisers, alarms or stolen
vehicle tracking systems. The majority of the industry agrees that the
time has come for progressive de-regulation of the insurance market, but
parties cannot agree on the extent of these changes. Any changes
designed to incorporate vehicle security into the calculation of
insurance premium therefore remains at least two years away.

In
an attempt to increase the general levels of security feature fitment
and to maintain the fall in vehicle theft, the Malaysian Road Transport
Department (JPJ) recently introduced new legislation to mandate that all
new passenger cars are fitted with an immobiliser system. Evidence from
other countries shows that theft typically falls following the
introduction of such legislation in the past, but thieves have moved on
to improve their methods in recent years and could yet be able to easily
overcome basic immobiliser systems which are all that are specified in
the new regulations.

With increases in the typical thief’s
capability, new legislation and proposed de-regulation of the insurance
industry, Malaysia is a complex and changing market. The current level
of media and public awareness of vehicle theft mean that changes in the
future are likely, but they will need to guard against the latest
methods of thieves in order to maintain the downward trend in overall
theft of vehicles.

The IC manufacturing industry mainly involves memory vendors, IDMs
and foundries. By technology, IC can be divided into analog, digital and
mixed signal. Most digital IC businesses are IC design houses and,
analog signal businesses commonly refer to IDMs. But it is not the case
for Japanese manufacturers, which have long been applying vertical
supply chain system and bringing the whole link of the supply chain
under control. Thus, nearly all the semiconductor manufacturers in Japan
are IDMs.

The foundries fall into two types, one produces
high-volume digital IC and the other produces low-volume analog IC,
high-voltage IC and mixed signal IC. For high-volume digital IC
foundries, they are required to ceaselessly improve the IC process
technology by CAPEX at least USD1 billion annually, more than 50% of
which are earmarked for equipment depreciation and R&D; for the
later, they are much smaller by operation scale, with each annual
revenue no more than 700 million USD.

For digital IC foundries,
efficiency is the top priority, since only those that can develop the
most advanced process technology in the shortest duration can come out
top in the cut-throat competition. For instance, the R&D cost is
likely to recover within one year provided a company makes the
initiative to develop the world’s first 90-nm process technology within
six months at a cost of USD1 billion. However, if a company develops the
same technology by investing the same amount two years later than the
pioneer, it means that there is little chance for it to recover its
R&D cost, for the less advanced technology is no longer a magnet for
customers. Therefore, there is, in general, only one lucrative in
digital IC foundries, and one with meager profit, while the rest are
either loss-making or with a narrow margin of profit.

TSMC is the biggest player among wafer foundries worldwide, with the
market occupancy approximating 48% and its profit making up roughly 85%
in the whole industry. The market capitalization of TSMC is as high as
USD68 billion, as opposed to the NO.4 SMIC whose market cap is less than
USD1.5 billion
TSMC, UMC and SMIC are among digital IC foundries,
while VIS, TowerJazz, Dongbu HiTek and ASMC are among analog IC,
high-voltage IC and mixed-signal foundries. For UMC, its considerable
profit is yielded from the investment in a series of well performing IC
design houses, such as Mediatek, Novatek and Sunplus, all of which are
loyal customers of UMC. Analog foundries have suffered hefty loss for
many years, which largely attributed that all its customers are small
analog IC designers that are very sensitive to economic climate.

Among
foundries in Chinese Mainland, SMIC enjoys absolute dominance. It is
the only that has 12-inch wafer fab, comparing to HHNEC and Grace
Semiconductor, which were merged by SMIC in late 2011, that only have
three 8-inch wafer fabs. Both state-run enterprises, HHNEC and Grace
Semiconductor monopolize government-related IC business, which makes
them possible to reap lucrative profit. However, both feature laggard of
technologies and are hard to face real tough competition. Another case
is Shanghai Huali Microelectronics, the investment of which amounts to
RMB14.5 billion, by and large backed by the government. In terms of
competitiveness, all these businesses far lag behind SMIC

Although
Samsung embarked on wafer foundry business as early in 2007, no
remarkable achievements have been made over the past five years. In
2007, Samsung’s revenue from foundry business reported USD370 million,
and the figure in 2011 rose to USD470 million excluding that brought by
Apple, the sole big customer of Samsung. Being involved in intellectual
property issue, Apple is forced to commission Samsung as its OEM. For
Samsung, it sets foot in wafer foundry business with the aim of
transferring the excessive capacity. Unlike Samsung, Intel has no
intention at all to develop wafer foundry business.

It is worth
mentioning that, Taiwan-based DRAMs have been struggling to make the
tough choice of transformation or closedown after suffering heavy losses
for many years. For instance, Powerchip has shifted its business to
foundry. In Q4 2011, 60% revenue of Powerchip was from foundry business.
In 2011, Powerchip’s revenue from foundry business hit USD431 million,
against USD149 million in 2010, marking the fastest developed foundry

Consumer appliances in Italy has been very vulnerable to the
economic situation, with retail volume and value sales declining during
the height of the economic crisis, in 2008-2009. While demand recovered
slightly in 2010 due to government incentives to purchase high
energy-efficient major appliances, this programme was no longer
effective in 2011, which resulted in another year of declining sales.
During the first semester of 2011, major appliances registered poorer
growth performances than small appliances, which were not especially
influenced by the recession. The economic situation worsened in the
second semester of 2011. According to the Italian Statistical Authority
and Findomestic Bank, the Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) and consumer
spending forecast, especially for major appliances, dipped in 2011. This
was due to the economic situation and uncertainty over employment,
which hurt the performance of consumer appliances.

Energy
efficiency becomes a popular theme

With growing
concerns about energy consumption in general, there has been a stronger
push from the government and manufacturers for energy-efficient consumer
appliances. In addition, consumers are responding positively to
innovations from manufacturers aimed at increasing energy efficiency due
to perceived savings on electricity bills. Major appliances, in
particular refrigeration, home laundry appliances and dishwashers have
been at the forefront of energy-efficient features in 2011. In the
forecast period, the demand for Class A devices is expected to grow,
while manufacturers will also shift towards aspects such as lower CO2
emission and recycling.

The
competitive landscape is quite fragmented, but premium brands continue
to lead in every category, even during difficult economic times. Italian
consumers are choosing to stay at home more because of the weak
economy. However, the tough economic climate has not seen Italian
consumers renounce the quality and small pleasure offered by major and
small appliances. Italian consumers prefer known high-end brands as they
are associated with quality and the longest life cycles, especially
major appliances which are perceived as an economic investment. Thanks
to the continued perception of trustworthiness of premium brands,
established Italian companies continue to lead retail volume shares.
Indesit Co SpA is the clear leader in major appliances, while small
appliances is led by Groupe SEB Italia SpA and De’Longhi SpA.

Slight
recovery on the horizon

After several years of decline
in the review period, the industry is expected to record steady growth
in retail volume sales terms over the forecast period. However, the
positive performance in retail volume sales will not be significant
enough to raise growth to 2006 levels. Economic uncertainties persist,
and people will remain cautious when purchasing consumer appliances.
However, Italian consumers’ preference for high-quality products and
their willingness to invest in premium products improve the
short-to-medium prospects of the industry.

May 16, 2012

Despite its tremendous promise,
m-commerce is facing significant acceptance barriers, which are caused
largely in part by user interface restrictions of mobile devices.
Generally, mobile users find it inconvenient to scroll through large
amounts of information using a small screen and often inconvenient
keypads.

Google is determined to provide superior solutions in
the Mobile commerce market. Part of this will include optimizing the
user experience and part of it will be offering innovative applications.

This
research identifies the future of mobile commerce applications in the
cloud and how Google is transforming the entire industry.

The
report identifies the market opportunities and forecasts to 2017 for
cloud based operations.

Datamonitor estimates the antidyslipidemic drug-treated population at
73.5 million patients across the seven major markets, with the majority
having high cholesterol as opposed to hypertriglyceridemia alone.
Statins are the dominant treatment for high cholesterol while fibrates
are more used for hypertriglyceridemia. Lipid control is an unmet need
in a high proportion of drug-treated patients.

Features
and benefits

Follow patient segmentation and
treatment pathways for dyslipidemia across the seven major markets.

Gain
insight into the most commonly used therapies for pure
hypercholesterolemia, pure hypertriglyceridemia, and mixed
hyperlipidemia.

Understand
the impact of generic entry on the antidyslipidemic market.

Highlights

Not
all patients are available for drug therapy due to the low diagnosis
rate, low compliance rates, and therapeutic lifestyle management as the
first line of treatment. Only 43% of dyslipidemia patients are reported
diagnosed within the seven major markets.

The type of
dyslipidemia that a patient is diagnosed with impacts on the treatment
regimen used. Statin monotherapy dominates where the target lipid is
low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. This is due to statins’ superior
proven efficacy in lowering both target lipid levels and cardiovascular
disease risk.

DISEASE DEFINITION AND DIAGNOSISDisease
definitionEtiologyLifestyle is the most common cause of
dyslipidemiaPrognosisDyslipidemia is generally asymptomatic, but
it can lead to symptomatic cardiovascular diseasePresentation and
diagnosisAs an asymptomatic disease, country-wide screening is
recommended to limit cardiovascular riskOver half of dyslipidemia
patients are undiagnosedTreatment ratesLifestyle management
effectiveness is limited by under-prescription and low complianceVariations
in treatment guidelines affect reported treatment ratesReported
compliance rates vary considerably across the seven major markets

PATIENT
SEGMENTATIONSegmentation by lipid levelsPure
hypertriglyceridemia is less common than cholesterol-related
dyslipidemiasHigh-density lipoprotein cholesterolFamilial
hypercholesterolemia

CURRENT TREATMENT OPTIONSOverview
of the antidyslipidemic drug classesPrescribing trendsPrescription
trends for specific dyslipidemia subgroups are based on
antidyslipidemic class efficacyClass usage across the seven markets
is largely consistent Prescribing strategiesTherapy switching is
most commonly due to insufficient lipid modulationGeneric
antidyslipidemics continue to take market share from key brands
following Lipitor's patent expiry

May 14, 2012

Distinct from traditional silicon semiconductor, gallium arsenide (GaAs)
is a compound of the elements gallium and arsenic. It is an III-V
semiconductor and is mainly used in handset RF front end like power
amplifier (PA). In the 4G era, handset RF front end becomes more
sophisticated. The RF front end of 4G devices costs around USD9-11,
twice of that of 3G system and 6 times of that of 2G system. The handset
RF system mainly consists of transceiver, PA, filter and antenna
switch. The market size of handset RF approximated USD3.8 billion and is
expected to hit USD5 billion in 2016.

Taking 4G iPad for
example, it applies as many as 19 RF front-end components, including 7
PAs, 1 transceiver and 2 antenna switch modules (ASM). Of those devices,
3 PAs are provided by AVAGO and correspond to three LTE frequency
bands; 2 PAs are supplied by Skyworks and correspond to two 3G frequency
bands; 1 PA is offered by TriQuint, which contains three separate PA
dies and corresponds to four 2G frequency bands; the rest 1 PA is in the
ASM supplied by Japan-based Murata; the two ASMs are provided by
Murata. Additionally, 4G iPad is integrated with 802.11/Bluetooth/FM
supported by Broadcom BCM4330, and its SIP IC contains GaAs pHEMT PA
provided by Skyworks.

Murata is the largest MLCC manufacturer,
the largest communication module (including Bluetooth module and WLAN
module) producer, the second largest SAW filter manufacturer and the
largest antenna switch producer in the world. On March 1, 2012, Murata
completed the acquisition on PA Division of Renesas and marched into PA
market, which empowers the company to possess the most complete product
line in the handset RF market.

Kopin, VPEC and IQE are the
world’s top three GaAs Epilayer manufacturers, together accounting for
over 60% market share. Kopin and VPEC adopt MOCVD process and IQE
applies MBE method. Headquartered in the U.S., AXT, the only publicly
traded GaAs substrate company, was acquired by a Chinese company in
Dalian as early as in 2003, with manufacturing base located in Beijing.

RFMD, once the world’s largest PA
manufacturer, relies heavily on big customers. In FY2008, Nokia
contributed to 59% of RFMD’s revenue, and Motorola 14%. In the era of 3G
and smart phone, Nokia’s business drops sharply, so RFMD shows slow
transition and sees declining performance, with revenue slipping 17% or
so in 2011.

Skyworks is in its heyday. It is supported by its
main customers, the global top 10 mobile phone vendors, and boasts the
most reasonable customer distribution and first-class technology. AVAGO
is a rising star and provides services for 3G and 4G devices. Its
acquisition of Infineon’s BAW Division in 2008 makes AVAGO market share
in BAW filter area register as high as 65%, and BAW filter enjoys the
highest price among the handset RF front end components. AVAGO and
Skyworks may rival each other in the coming years.

SEDI is a
subsidiary of Sumitomo Electric Industries which acts as a manufacturer
possessing the complete industry chain ranging from the upstream
substrate to the downstream IC. The products of SEDI target at the PA of
base station.

RDA, a Chinese mainland manufacturer, booms by
virtue of unbranded phone fabrication, with revenue growing 51.3% in
2011. The company ranks No. 1 in the market of unbranded cell phone PA,
Bluetooth, FM turner and DVB-S tuner, and occupies more than 50% of FM
turner and DVB-S tuner market share.

Many products are made from plastics (e.g., protective packaging,
components in cars and aircraft, insulating materials, toys, mobile
phones, buildings, medical devices, profiles and pipes). Plastics
improve safety, save energy and can help protect the environment.
Plastics are an essential part of modern-day life, and some activities
depend completely on plastics and plastic products. Plastics and
plastic products are made by mixing essential polymers with additives.
Additives make plastics safer, cleaner, tougher and more colorful, and
in some cases, plastics will not function without them. Additives
increase the cost of producing plastics; however, they help conserve
precious, raw material reserves. Without the additives that turn basic
polymers into useful plastics and plastic products, their use would be a
lot more expensive.

The market success of polymers, such as
polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polypropylene (PP) depends not only on the
basic polymer but also on the additives that make the plastics as useful
as they are. Their usefulness is largely attributed to the polymers
used to make them and not to the additives used. Yet, when concerns
arise regarding human health and the environment, plastics additives are
often found to be responsible, and the industry is required to replace
the additive or prove that it is indeed harmless.

STUDY
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The goal of this market research
study is to identify and measure the market opportunities for the full
range of plastics additives. The global additives market is broken down
and measured by various parameters, and future growth is forecast for
both the overall market and every possible market segment. Regional
markets are also measured and examined in detail.

The report has been prepared
and presented in a simple, easy to understand format with a number of
tables and charts/figures. A study of applications and global and
regional markets for all types of the plastics additives and the
plastics additives industry has been made in detail. The consolidation
and globalization of the plastics processing industry has been studied
in this report, so that additive manufacturers and suppliers can
establish themselves in all the major regions.

The supply and
pricing of raw materials and the basic feedstock of various plastics
additives have been fluctuating greatly with the run-up in prices of raw
materials and energy. This aspect of the plastics processing industry
has also been studied and analyzed in detail in this report.

The
environmental/regulatory aspects of different types of plastics
additives continue to present concerns as well as opportunities to
additive suppliers. The effects of these factors on the supply chain,
value and demand for additives have also been studied in detail in this
report.

INTENDED AUDIENCE

This report
will be of help to those in the plastics additives industry responsible
for the manufacture, distribution and supply of plastics additives:

Manufacturers,
distributors and suppliers of additives.

Manufacturers of
resins and specialty chemicals.

Manufacturers and suppliers of
masterbatches.

Existing and new marketing personnel in the
plastics additives business.

Advisors to the plastics processing
and plastics additives industries.

INFORMATION
SOURCES

Both primary and secondary research methods were
used in this study. Primary information sources for this market
research include individuals within companies, various research
organizations, governmental agencies and trade associations. Additional
secondary research sources include databases, trade literature,
specialized journals and government statistics.

Data
is provided for self-adhesive tape shipments and sales by type (carton
sealing, masking, electrical/electronic, double-sided, medical, other)
and primary backing/liner material (polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride,
paper, other) on a country-by-country and region-by-region basis. Data
are presented in square meters. Historical and forecast world data on
selected raw material use in tapes (in kilograms) and tape sales in
current (i.e., non-inflation-adjusted) US dollars are also presented.
The terms “shipments,” “production,” “supply,” and “output” are used
interchangeably in the study, as are the terms “sales,” “demand,” and
“market”; and “pressure sensitive” and “self-adhesive.” Data on tape
shipments and sales are derived from differing sources and developed
from statistical relationships. Given that variations are commonplace in
international reporting, data presented in this study are historically
consistent but may vary from other sources. Variances may occur because
of definitional differences and various other factors.

In
addition, major global pressure sensitive tape producers and converters
are identified and profiled, and the key competitive variables are
discussed. The entire report is framed within the world tape industry’s
economic, technological and market environments. World tape market share
data presented in the “Market Share” section are estimated based on
consultation with multiple sources. In addition, tabular details may not
add to totals due to rounding.

A potential source of statistical discrepancy in the historical series
for both shipments and sales is the conversion from national currencies
to a common currency, in this case the US dollar. Every effort has been
made to adjust compiled data to form a consistent pattern for comparing
the various national PSA tape industries and markets. Wherever available
and credible, local currencies were converted to US dollars using
purchasing power parity indices (PPPs) or at least a combination of PPPs
and exchange rates. However, this was not always possible, as many of
the primary sources of international PSA tape market data utilize
exchange rate conversion methods.

Macroeconomic and demographic
indicators presented in this study were obtained from The Freedonia
Group Consensus Forecasts dated January 2012. Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) historical data are derived from the national income and products
accounts from the Organisation for Economic Co- Operation and
Development (OECD) for its member countries, from the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for its member countries, and from
the International Monetary Fund for its member countries that are not
part of the OECD or EBRD. Sources of GDP estimates for other countries
are based on information from the World Bank and a variety of sources
including the countries’ statistical bureaus. GDP forecasts are
developed from a consensus of public agencies and private firms.

All
estimates of gross domestic product and components of GDP are done in
terms of constant purchasing power parity in a benchmark year (2010)
that is one year before the base year (2011) used in this study.
Purchasing power parity GDP estimates for the benchmark year are
obtained from the OECD; Eurostat; the World Bank; the International
Monetary Fund; the US Central Intelligence Agency; and selected other
sources. These purchasing power parity GDP estimates for the benchmark
year are based on gross domestic product data expressed in the
individual countries’ local currency, which are then converted to US
dollars by valuing each country’s output at US prices in the benchmark
year. This approach values the same physical output at a consistent
price for all countries, thereby reducing the distorting influence of
different price levels in the different countries. The alternative
approach of using exchange rates to convert local currency GDP to US
dollars would tend to overvalue the output of countries with high
average price levels and undervalue the output of countries with low
average price levels, because exchange rate conversions only partially
reflect the relative prices for goods and services that are domestically
consumed and invested. Furthermore, factors other than relative prices,
such as demand and supply in currency markets, interest rates, and
capital flows, affect exchange rates.

Once the GDP values for a
country are estimated for the benchmark year, we then calculate
inflation-adjusted GDP for all other years for that country based on
historical and forecast growth rates of GDP expressed in
inflationadjusted units of that country’s local currency. This approach
ensures that the GDP series for any given country is an accurate index
of changes in inflationadjusted GDP for that country. However, it also
implicitly assumes that the price structures across countries do not
change from those of the benchmark year. Therefore, caution should be
used in comparing the relative GDP of countries in years other than the
benchmark year. If the ratio of prices across two countries in a given
year differs from the ratio of prices across those countries in the
benchmark year, then the change in the relative sizes of those two
economies as measured will not accurately reflect changes in output. The
benchmark year is chosen to be one year prior to the base year for the
study for reasons of data availability. One benefit of that choice is
that the ratio of prices across countries in the base year is usually
similar to that in the benchmark year. Therefore, the ratio of real GDP
between two countries in the base year of 2011 is generally a reasonably
accurate representation of the relative sizes of their economies.

This survey report on dental materials
examines practitioner preferences of dentists and attitudes towards the
various injection products currently available across the United States.

The topics covered include:

Injectable
and Topical Anesthetic Use

Dental Material Brand Preferences

Purchasing
Habits

Distributor Preferences

Digital Impression
Taking

Brand share for various products are determined
through this report, including those for anesthetics, etches, bonds,
dental cements and other products. For each product, the reasons driving
purchasing decisions are also examined and discussed.